Security personnel stand outside Richmond County Supreme Court after a grand jury’s decision not to indict a New York police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

A judge on Tuesday granted a request by Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan to release information from the grand jury’s investigation into the death of Eric Garner but much of it has already been made public.

According to Judge Rooney’s decision, Mr. Donovan’s application–which remains sealed–doesn’t seek the release of transcripts of grand jury testimony or exhibits, but does seek “Public disclosure of the nature of certain grand jury evidence,” which was granted.

“Most of the material petitioner seeks to publicly disclose has already been widely reported in the media,” said the decision by state Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Rooney. Read More »

A protester is pictured in Staten Island, where Eric Garner was wrestled down to the ground by police earlier this year.

Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal

Eric Garner. #ICantBreathe. #BlackLivesMatter. #WeHearYou. These were some of the words and hashtags that started trending on Twitter after a grand jury declined to indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner.

The male worker, 43-year-old Delfino Jesus Velazquez Mendizabal, was found trapped in the rubble with life-threatening injuries; he was taken to Richmond University Medical Center and pronounced dead, the spokesman said. Read More »

One person was killed and another was injured when their boat started to sink off the waters of Staten Island on Tuesday, authorities said.

The pair were in a 15- to 18-foot power boat near Sandy Hook, N.J., when the boat flipped around 10:30 a.m., a U.S. Coast Guard official said.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Fire Department of New York and the New York City Police Department’s aviation unit responded to the mayday call and found both victims in the water with their boat partially submerged, authorities said. Read More »

Zookeeper Doug Schwartz picks up Charlotte, one of the zoo’s pair of groundhogs, at the Staten Island Zoo in September 2013.

Kevin Hagen for The Wall Street Journal

Staten Island Chuck’s days of taking furry photo-ops in the arms of the New York City mayor may be over.

Zoo officials said they are considering banning the practice of allowing the mayor to hold the rodent during the annual Staten Island Groundhog Day ceremony, after it was revealed that the most recent “Chuck” died days after being dropped by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in February.

“Moving forward we might change the format a bit, only have a professional animal handler handle the groundhog rather than pass it around to the mayor,” said Brian Morris, a spokesman for the Staten Island Zoo. “It’s not their job.”

Mr. de Blasio was cradling the groundhog in February when he lost his grip, sending the rodent plummeting to the ground in front of dozens of shocked schoolchildren. A week later, the groundhog died of “internal injuries and bleeding,” according to zoo officials.

Mr. Morris said a necropsy showed signs of injuries “that would be consistent with a fall” — but one more recent than the groundhog’s ill-fated encounter with Mr. de Blasio. Read More »

A Texas woman pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to making fraudulent campaign donations to U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm during his successful 2010 bid for re-election.

Diana Durand, 48 years old, is charged with illegally funneling more than $10,000 through straw donors to Mr. Grimm, a Republican representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, and another candidate running for a seat in the House of Representatives.

At a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn, Ms. Durand acknowledged paying in advance or reimbursing the straw donors who made the contributions, a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act. Read More »

U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm arrives at the Brooklyn federal courthouse on Tuesday.

REUTERS

A federal judge on Tuesday set U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm’s tax fraud trial date for Dec. 1, against objections by the congressman’s lawyers.

Mr. Grimm, a Republican congressman representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, is running for another term in the Nov. 4 election.

His attorneys appearing in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, asked for the trial to be pushed back by another month, providing what they called a “cooling off period.” U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen denied that request and set the Dec. 1 date. Read More »

The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks after meeting with officials from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Joe Jackson for The Wall Street Journal

The Rev. Al Sharpton and the family of a Staten Island man who died after a New York City police officer subdued him using an apparent chokehold formally met with federal prosecutors on Friday, calling on them to launch a civil rights investigation into the incident.

Mr. Sharpton and Eric Garner’s family members met with senior prosecutors in the U.S. Eastern District in Brooklyn for about 30 minutes. U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch was not in the meeting.

Mr. Garner died last week after an altercation with NYPD officers. A video of the incident that has been posted on the internet shows an officer using an apparent chokehold on Mr. Garner. Mr. Garner can be heard complaining that he can’t breath in the video. He was pronounced dead about an hour later. Read More »

Ellisha Flagg, sister of Eric Garner, center, stands on the stairs of the 120th Precinct with fellow demonstrators Tuesday.

AP

Relatives of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who died after a police officer subdued him with an apparent chokehold, called for justice for him at a rally Tuesday evening.

The Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network organized the rally, which also drew clergy and elected officials, including City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

She told dozens of people who had gathered at the scene of the 43-year-old’s death, in the Tompkinsville neighborhood, that the case raised “hard questions that must be asked and must be answered truthfully and quickly.” Read More »